Silence is Leadership Key
Updated: Jun 18, 2020
How being silent and listening can help you be a better Leader in every relationship, meeting & conversation.
Soft skills make the Leader
Leaders that take the time to develop their Relationship Intelligence (RQ) are able to secure a network of repeat clients, create company loyalty and build beneficial win-win collaborations.
It requires not only basic listening skills like silence, it also requires the more advanced disciplines of inner awareness - keeping your mind from wandering - projecting into the future or sliding back into the past.
When a leader listens, a leader learns far more than what is actually being said.
What are the organisational costs of not being a good listener?
A leader that is often not present or a poor listener can run the risk of:
Lower engagement in teams as their ideas, needs and frustrations not heard adequately
Missed opportunities to lead the market due to a lack of deep listening to competitors, strategic partners and/or clients
Damage to valuable relationships and client partnerships through poor understanding
A confusing culture due to misalignment within the senior leadership team
Customer dissatisfaction because their needs, desire or complaints are poorly handled
So, here’s the tools you need.
The place to start is to have fearless curiosity backed up by deep inner silence, given the risks and costs noted above it is important to have these tools in your tool belt.
Active Listening & Reflective Responding.
This may sound like a paradox but take a moment to think about those words. Active Listening – silently yet consciously giving your attention to the other - and Reflective Responding – to think before you speak.
Active Listening practices:
Silence – inner and outer - is key
Put the other at ease
Listen for the motive and emotions behind the words
Convey understanding
Reflective Responding practices
Internally check your emotions before you respond
Reflect on your words before you speak
Show empathy and non-judgemental understanding
Add choice and options when you speak – so ask open questions.
Notice how dramatically your relationships and results improve when you start implementing these simple Leadership tools.
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